


cat & dog

by blueorangeade (prodbyjisung)



Category: TXT (Korea Band), Together by Tomorrow (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cats, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, Short, light - Freeform, soft, soobin has a cat named ningning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 08:28:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18007367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prodbyjisung/pseuds/blueorangeade
Summary: Soobin steals his neigbor's cat because she was a horrible owner. On his way to save the poor kitten, though, he meets the boy in a yellow hoodie that made him feel something he never felt before.





	cat & dog

**Author's Note:**

> hello im sorry if this fic is trash but like,,,, i wanted to get this out of my chest hHHHH i know it's not that decent like i havent proofread this one and like i think?? i wasnt able to weave the character development properly jjdkdmdmx im sorry
> 
> also you could talk to me @dancegodyeonjun or @straykidslight on twitter!!!

Soobin couldn’t hold his breath anymore. He sticks his arms on his knees in a meek attempt to find support; he pants and pants, his lungs wanting nothing but a fresh breath of air. He cuts off his gaze from the dry pavement toward his surroundings.  
He had to make sure no one followed him.

Once his surroundings was devoid of any existence of the person he was running from, he closes his eyes in relief. Soobin unbuttons the few buttons of his thick coat, a tiny black kitten scratching his worn out inner sweater.

  
“Are you hungry too, Ningning?” he pats the little kitten while it nudges his freezing knuckles. To be quite frank, the cold winter night isn’t the best time for him to get out of the comfort of his home. Had he ignored the gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach, he would have been finishing his Calculus homework and answered a few more worksheets here and there.

  
But he sensed something eerie. He heard the faint cries of the kitten by his window, tagged along by his neighbor’s shrieking voice that could have cracked his glasses.

  
Soobin was too busy entertaining his train of thoughts that he doesn’t notice the kitten walking towards a stranger. When he realizes this, his head snaps around him in search of a black kitten, adrenaline rushing and his heart pounding in anxiously.

  
His eyes meet a figure not too far away. There, the boy held the black kitten, who was busy enough kneading the boy’s yellow hoodie.

  
“Excuse me?” Soobin starts off, trailing his steps towards the yellow hoodie boy. “Can I have my kitten back?”

  
“Oh, sorry!” the boy mutters quite surprisingly as he carries the black kitten towards Soobin in a haste. “Come on, kitty, you need to go back to him. He’s your owner.”

  
“Actually, I’m not his owner,” Soobin scratches the back of his head. “I… kind of stole Ningning from my neighbor.”

  
“You… what?”

  
Soobin stretches his lips to morph a sheepish smile. “It’s kind of a long story.”

  
The boy in the yellow hoodie completely turns towards Soobin, his eyes reflecting curiosity to Soobin’s story. It was unnecessary, Soobin thinks, but he finds the way the yellow hoodie boy tilts his head cute.

  
“Well,” Soobin mumbles at first as he sat on the pavement with Ningning yawning lazily on his lap, “Ningning had the most horrible owners. Like, literally.”

  
The yellow hoodie boy furrows his eyebrows, perplexed at Soobin’s statement, “How? What did they do to your cat?”

  
“They tied him down, despite him being frail enough to withstand the winter outside their house all by himself. Every evening that that bitch of a neighbor comes home, she hits Ningning with her slippers,” Soobin could feel the shivers running through hi spine, at the same time, he felt a surge of anger in his veins.

  
“I would hear Ningning’s cries every night. Everytime I pass by their house, Ningning would limp towards his empty and dirty feeding bowl.”

  
The yellow hoodie boy, completely immerged in Soobin’s story, creased his eyebrows. He’s gone beyond mad at the irresponsibility of the cat’s owners. He heaves a heavy sigh in the thick air, “How—how could people be so cruel to animals? Just because they are more capable of doing things that animals can’t doesn’t give them the right to treat them like shit.”

  
“Right? I was fucking mad that I didn’t think twice and stole Ningning from that bitch’s iron hands. I don’t regret a single thing.”

  
“Wait, what’s the name of your cat again?”

  
“Ningning.”

  
“Ningning?” yellow hoodie boy mumbles the name once again in reassurance. Once Soobin agrees, the crease in his forehead lightens up and his eyes form tiny crescent moons while he smiles. “Ningning? I—I’m Ningning too! That’s so cool. Your cat and I have the same names! But you can just call me Kai, honestly.”

  
Kai flashes a bubbly smile, one that makes Soobin’s heart jump faster than it normally does. It made Soobin’s brain get messy, making him tongue-tied and mumble incoherent words. He bites his lower lip in annoyance. “I-Im Soobin.”

  
After their little chit chat at the freezing pavement, Kai and Soobin decided to go to the nearest place where they could warm up. Kai has been sniffing due to the thick blowing of the winter air, and Soobin did not want to develop colds. They had to keep Ningning the kitten warm, too.

  
So when they spot the small coffee shop by the town’s outskirts, they don’t hesitate coming inside. The coffee shop was run by a friendly old man, who happened to be Kai’s dad’s friend. It was cozy yet comforting, the intoxicating aroma of brewed coffee the first thing you’ll notice once you set your foot in the shop’s threshold. They sit beside the wide glass window, which gave a perfect view of the mountains far ahead and the stacks of houses not too far.

  
“One big cup of hot chocolate for me,” Kai starts off, before nudging Soobin, “and?”

  
“S-same with me. I’d like a cup of hot choco, too.”

  
For the rest of their time in the coffee shop, Soobin showed a rather unknown side of him—he was shy, for one, and he was so careful of his surroundings. He looked reserve, which was the total opposite of his real self. Soobin didn’t know why he acted that way. Normally, he’s not like this toward strangers. He handled himself just fine on a normal day.

  
So why is he so self-conscious this time?

  
“Loosen up, Soobin.” Kai squeezes his right shoulder. His hand left no trace of the cold winter; it was all things warm and yellow. He just met Kai, but he knew that he was a warm and bubbly person inside, and yellow, just like the first rays of sunlight seeping through his curtains.

  
“Relax. It’s just me,” Kai smiles. Soobin feels his chest wanting to blow up even harder.

  
Soobin breathes deeply, before morphing a half smile, “Sorry, I just feel weird right now.”

  
“So, about Ningning, you plan to keep him now, don’t you?”

  
“Yeah. I can’t afford to give her back to those abusive hands,” Soobin’s blood boils at the thought of his horrible neighbor.

  
“If… if you ever need help in taking care of him, I could always lend a hand.”

  
Soobin looks up from his cup of chocolate to Kai’s chocolate brown eyes. _They’re beautiful and sincere,_ he thinks to himself. “Thank you.”

  
“Based on your coat,” Kai points towards the eagle crest in Soobin’s coat, “you study in my school too. Maybe we could see each other every day and I could help you with handling money to buy Ningning’s food and needs, if that’s okay.”

  
Soobin stares dumbly at his school crest embroidered on his coat. Jeez, he never felt this thankful to the school logo in his coat.

  
“Sure, it’s all good! What class are you in, by the way?”

  
“I’m a sophomore, if that helps. I’m in 2-A,” Kai scoops Ningning from the couch and scratches his ears, much to the cat’s enjoyment.

  
“I’ll be seeing you then!”

* * *

  
Months after Kai and Soobin met on that freezing pavement, the two became close to each other. They took good care of Ningning. Sometimes, Kai stopped by the older’s house just to drop off some cat food or to play with him, but most of the time, Kai went to his place because he wanted to be with Soobin.

  
They didn’t just hang out because of Soobin’s cat. Their personalities clicked faster than ever, with Soobin’s love for bread and eating complementing Kai’s. Everytime the two was with each other’s company, they felt complete and whole.

  
They became the best of friends. Soobin told Kai all of his worries and issues with his classmates. He was kind of an open book; only that he wanted to tell Kai everything because he felt comfortable. Whenever Kai felt down because he felt scared to chase his dream of becoming a singer, Soobin would always be a shoulder to lean on.

  
Soobin was there to hold Kai’s hand to reassure him that he’ll reach his dream. They completed each other. And the longer Soobin knew Kai—as time passed by and he was able to see through the boy in the yellow hoodie, he fell for him even harder.

  
It was weird. It was his first time liking someone with the same gender as his. He was scared--terrified, even--because what if… what if Kai hates him after he learns that he likes a boy right now?

  
Soobin did not want to taint their friendship. He’ll go through hell if he does. God knows how much he treasures his friendship with Kai.   
But he couldn’t ignore this lingering feeling in his chest anymore.

  
So when they meet on a Saturday to do their routine of taking care of Ningning, Soobin decides to tell Kai what his heart ached to say, all of his fears be damned.

  
“Kai, I… have something to tell you,” without Soobin knowing, his hands fumble the hem of his shirt anxiously. Kai stops whatever he was doing, then looks at Soobin’s eye.

  
One thing Soobin liked about him is that he is sincere. He listens.

  
“Hm? What is it?” Kai felt that there’s something different with Soobin this time. He couldn’t point a finger on it, but he knew—he definitely did—that Soobin felt uneasy. He squeezes Soobin’s shoulder, before giving him a reassuring smile, “Relax, okay? Whatever this is, I’m going to listen. I promise.”

  
“You do? You promise?” Soobin’s heart pounded more loudly against his chest. He felt tears brimming in his eyes, but he did his best to stop them. _For fuck’s sake, Soobin, you can’t cry. No, not this time._

He continues, “You promise not to… ruin whatever this thing between us after you hear me?”

  
“Yeah, I do,” Kai is totally perplexed. He ached to know and hear whatever Soobin is going to say. “I’m not gonna hate your ass, dummy. Unless… you hurt a cat?”

  
Quicker than a lightning, Soobin shakes his head, “No, what the fuck?”

  
“Then what is it? Tell me, Soobin. I’m dying to know this, too.”

  
It’s now or never. Soobin breathes lightly, before speaking, “ _I… I like you._ ”

  
There. There he said it. It’s either he did something new to elevate their relationship or to ruin it. Soobin wished that it wasn’t the latter. It breaks his heart--it shatters it-- to think of losing the one thing he loved. 

  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your day, I—“ Soobin blabbers (as a result of him being nervous) as he stares at the marbled floor. He couldn’t manage to look into Kai’s eyes after his confession. He’s scared to see them empty and disappointed and—

  
“Shut up, silly. Come here,” to Soobin’s surprise, Kai opens his arms wide, tears rolling down his eyes and his smile (his smile that Soobin loves so, so much) more genuine. “I don’t hate you. What makes you think that something like this will make me hate you?”

  
Soobin was rooted to the ground. He couldn’t move. Hell, he couldn’t even think. Kai rolls his eyes to this, before moving forward to embrace Soobin in a warm hug instead.

  
“Maybe I like you too, Soobin. I don’t want to lose you, either.” 


End file.
